Initiative for Increasing Seat Belt Use Nationwide
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Initiative for Increasing Seat Belt Use Nationwide
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It's Everyone's ProblemThe motor vehicle injury problem affects all Americans. The cost of personal pain and suffering, the loss of a loved one, and serious injury to a family member cannot be measured. Every person in America also bears the economic costs of motor vehicle crashes — on average, $580 a year. These include the costs of the emergency response providers, higher medical and insurance costs, and lost productivity. When individuals don't wear seat belts, these costs increase considerably because the injuries are more serious. Because government at all levels pays some of the costs of traffic injuries, government at all levels shares the responsibility to reduce traffic injuries and costs. Publicly funded health programs and other public services, such as law enforcement and emergency medical services, are greatly impacted whenever someone is injured in a motor vehicle crash. According to a 1996 NHTSA study of 10 states, 24 percent of inpatient hospital costs are paid by Medicare, Medicaid, and other government sources. NHTSA estimates that if seat belt usage rates for front seat passengers in automobiles and light trucks were to increase from the present 68 percent to 85 percent, Medicare and Medicaid would save $275 million a year. With a 90 percent use rate, the savings would total $356 million a year! Business also incurs enormous costs from traffic crashes through lost productivity and higher insurance and medical costs. On-the-job crashes cost employers almost $22,000 per crash and $110,000 per injury. Traffic crashes on- and off-the- job cost American business an estimated $55 billion in 1994. It pays for business to participate in solving this problem. The health care industry shares in the economic burden produced by traffic injuries. Many health care costs of traffic injuries are either not reimbursed or are paid with taxpayer dollars. Moreover, on average, hospital charges for an unbelted driver admitted as an inpatient exceed the inpatient hospital charges of a belted driver by $5,000. Insurance premiums reflect part of the problem. When a person is injured in a motor vehicle crash, private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, the injured person, or the victim's family pays. When the person is not properly restrained, everyone pays more. Insurance companies frequently assume the financial burden of injuries requiring long term treatment and care and pass the costs on to customers as higher premiums. If an insurance company is not involved, or if the coverage is insufficient, eventually some treatment costs are paid with taxpayer dollars. Preventing needless injuries and deaths requires a commitment to traffic safety at all levels of government — local, state 1 , and Federal. It also requires the support of partners in private industry, citizen groups, and nonprofit organizations. Most important, this problem requires individuals to take personal responsibility for their own and their family's safety by making certain that everyone is properly buckled up, every time, on every trip.
1 References in this report to "states" apply to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Indian Nations, and the United States Territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. America's Experience with Seat Belt and Child Seat UseSeat belts and child safety seats work. Yet, fewer than 40 percent of both adults and children who died in traffic crashes were properly restrained. Seat belts work. They are the most effective means of reducing fatalities and serious injuries when traffic crashes occur and are estimated to save 9,500 lives in America each year. Research has found that lap/shoulder belts, when used properly, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. For light truck occupants, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent. While the first seat belts were installed by automobile manufacturers in the 1950s, seat belt use was very low — only 10-15 percent nationwide — until the early 1980s. From 1984 through 1987, belt use increased from 14 percent to 42 percent as a result of the passage of seat belt use laws in 31 states. Then, from 1990 through 1992, belt use increased from 49 percent to 62 percent as a result of a national effort of highly visible enforcement and public education. Since then, belt use has risen slowly and some states have struggled to maintain seat belt use at current levels. In 1996, belt use nationwide was 68 percent, and ranged across the states from a high of 87 percent in California, to a low of 43 percent in North Dakota. Currently, 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and all the U.S. Territories have seat belt laws. New Hampshire is the only exception. (New Hampshire requires seat belt use up to age 12.) In 38 states, the law provides only for "secondary" enforcement of seat belt violations, requiring an officer to stop a violator for another infraction before issuing a citation for failure to buckle up. Under primary enforcement, a citation can be written whenever a law enforcement officer observes an unbelted driver or passenger. Currently, 11 states, the U.S. Territories, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, all have primary (or "standard") enforcement laws. Maryland recently passed a primary seat belt enforcement law that goes into effect October 1, 1997. California, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia had secondary enforcement laws, but upgraded their laws to primary enforcement. No state, except the District of Columbia, has a seat belt use law that assesses driver license penalty points. The District of Columbia's new law, after a six-month grace period to educate the public, authorizes the assessment of two penalty points and a $50 fine for a seat belt use violation. The District's new law covers all seating positions. Seat belt use in
the 11 states with primary (standard) seat belt use laws currently averages
about 15 percentage points higher than in states with secondary laws.
California and Louisiana increased their seat belt use rate by 13 and
18 percentage points, respectively, by upgrading their secondary laws
to primary laws. Early reports from Georgia suggest that similar gains
will be achieved. Georgia had a use rate of 53 percent near the end of
1995, which fell to 51 percent shortly before the change to primary enforcement
on July 1, 1996. After four months of primary enforcement (and despite
the media's and law enforcement's attention on the Olympics during that
period), statewide use was observed at 62 percent.
 To understand why seat belt use is not higher, it is important to understand who does not use seat belts. Americans can be classified as non-users, part-time users, and full-time users. Non-users represent only 5 to 10 percent of the population, but are the most difficult to convert to seat belt use. High risk drivers are most typically non-users of seat belts. They are more likely than others to drive after drinking, to be involved in a serious crash, and are also the least likely to be responsible for the social and economic consequences of their behavior. These are the drivers who would benefit most from using their seat belts. They often appear to believe that seat belts can cause more harm than good or that government should not mandate behaviors that affect only them. Non-users come from all segments of society but are frequently male, less than 30 years of age, unmarried, and have little or no post-secondary education. They often drive pickup trucks or sport utility vehicles and live in rural areas. Almost three-quarters of Americans say they are full-time users. However, of these, almost 10 percent acknowledge that they did not use their seat belts on at least one occasion during the past week and studies have shown that self-reported seat belt use is 12 to 25 percentage points higher than observed use. In NHTSA surveys, full-time users say their primary reason for wearing seat belts is to avoid injury. In NHTSA observational surveys, the female use rate is 10 percentage points higher than the male use rate. Overall seat belt use rates are highest in the suburbs, followed by cities, then rural areas. A barrier to increasing seat belt use is that many state and local leaders do not understand the linkage of seat belt use to social burdens. The combined costs to government, health care systems, business, and individuals make this a community issue that cannot be ignored or underestimated. Sometimes the failure to recognize that seat belt use reduces deaths, injuries, and costs resulted in the adoption of secondary belt laws in many states. Secondary laws often are not enforced vigorously. Child safety seats work. Children, especially those under the age of 5, are vulnerable in collisions because of the size and shape of their bodies. The child safety seat is designed to spread the forces of a crash over more of the body for front-facing toddlers, and cradle the fragile neck and back of the rear-facing infant. Child safety seats are the most effective occupant protection devices used in motor vehicles today. If used correctly, they are 71 percent effective in reducing fatalities in children under the age of 5 and 69 percent effective in reducing the need for hospitalization. Unfortunately, parents and other care givers too often consider child seats inconvenient, out of their financial reach, or too difficult to install. Others are uninformed or misinformed about correct child safety seat use. About 50 percent of children under age 5 who died in crashes were unrestrained. Of the remaining 50 percent, 26 percent were in an adult seat belt which does not provide effective protection for most children under age 5. Others were in a child restraint system, but had not been restrained properly. In studies conducted by NHTSA to observe child safety seat misuse, nearly 80 percent of the child seats observed were misused in one or more ways. In some cases, the seat was not properly attached to the vehicle; in others, the child was not appropriately buckled into the seat. Seat Belt and Child Safety Seat Use Outside the United StatesMany other countries have seat belt use rates significantly higher than the United States. For example, use rates in Canada, Australia, and several Western European countries exceed 90 percent, while use rates in Great Britain exceed 80 percent. Seat belt use laws in these countries typically allow primary (standard) enforcement and also cover occupants of light trucks and vans in addition to automobiles. Fines for noncompliance are generally higher than in the United States, and some jurisdictions assess demerit points against driver's licenses for seat belt use law violations. In contrast, except for the District of Columbia, states in the U.S. do not assess penalty points for adult seat belt use violations. In Europe, some countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) have laws that permit child passengers in the front seat provided they are in a child safety seat or seat belt. This approach is typical of state laws in the U.S. Other European countries (Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Spain) have child passenger safety laws that require children up to a specified age and weight to ride in the rear seat. However, some of these countries have exemptions to these laws that permit children to ride in front passenger seating positions provided they are in a child safety seat or seat belt. Foreign child passenger safety laws are often "nationwide" as opposed to state-by-state as they are in the U.S. Belt use rates in Canada and the U.S. did not differ markedly until the mid-1980s, when Canadian provinces began implementing comprehensive special traffic enforcement programs (STEPs). These highly publicized enforcement efforts achieved belt use rates in the 80 percent range. When Canada decided to establish a national 95 percent seat belt use goal, provinces amended their laws to add driver license penalty points. With these penalty point provisions, seat belt use in Canada has risen to 92 percent for drivers and 90 percent for front seat passengers. Taking ResponsibilityIt's Easy to Increase Seat Belt Use — All It Takes Is Everyone Click! Buckle up. It's easy and it takes three seconds. Once a person establishes the habit of wearing seat belts on every trip, it's usually a habit for life. Examples from businesses, local communities, states, and many other countries show that seat belt use can be increased in America. Just as the problem of low seat belt use rates belongs to everyone in America, so does the solution. Everyone must buckle up properly, on every trip. Only through the cooperation of all levels of government (Federal, state, and local), the private sector, interest groups, citizen activists, other interested parties, and individuals, can the nation increase its use rate. Through collective partnerships, individuals can be educated and encouraged to change behavior and assume personal responsibility for themselves and their families. In this partnership, the Federal Government has a role to play. It can develop the "tools" for this collective effort, help establish new partnerships, provide formula and incentive grants, give hands-on assistance when requested, and furnish examples of model programs that work and that can be replicated nationwide. Many states, communities, and organizations have helped raise seat belt and child safety seat use substantially. Their successful methods can be shared and duplicated. Below are some examples of "best practices":
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New National GoalsAmerica must set ambitious seat belt and child safety seat use goals. We have an unprecedented opportunity to save lives, prevent injuries, reduce health care and other costs, and improve the lives of all Americans — simply by increasing proper seat belt and child safety seat use. But to do this, we must be bold and reach beyond "business as usual." Bold goals will require commitment and cooperation from everyone living in the United States. America can do it.
Reaching these goals would result in significant reductions in deaths, injuries, and their economic costs to society. Increasing the seat belt use rate from the current 68 percent (1996) to 85 percent would prevent an estimated 4,194 fatalities and 102,518 injuries annually. This reduction in injuries and deaths would result in an economic savings of approximately $6.7 billion annually (1996 dollars). Increasing the seat belt use rate from the current 68 percent to 90 percent would prevent an estimated 5,536 fatalities and 132,670 injuries annually, and would save $8.8 billion annually. The National StrategyThe National Strategy presents a collaborative, cooperative four point plan to achieve the ambitious national goals of increasing seat belt and child safety seat use. Individuals must take responsibility for themselves and for their child passengers by making certain everyone in the vehicle is properly buckled up — every time and on every trip. It will, however, take the collective efforts of many people and many organizations to ensure that every person in America has the knowledge and tools to make the right choice and to take personal responsibility. The National Strategy has a role for everyone and builds on the considerable activities, funding, and resources already committed by many different organizations to this common cause. The Four Point PlanThe plan to increase seat belt use in America has four elements that, when implemented together, have proven to be effective in increasing seat belt use. The first element is the most important: We must join together to build the public-private partnerships necessary to help America reach its potential to save lives and prevent injuries through the use of seat belts and child safety seats. In addition, each state must enact strong legislation and embrace active, high visibility law enforcement. Finally, all public and private partners must conduct well-coordinated, effective public education. These strategies work. Point 1. To reach our goals, we will need to build public-private partnerships at the local, state, and federal levels. The problem is too big for any one group or coalition to tackle alone; no one of us is as effective as all of us are together. While it is the individual who must ultimately take responsibility to buckle up and safely secure all children riding in the vehicle, it is the responsibility of a great many to encourage, enact, enforce, and inform. Driving is a privilege that comes with responsibilities. Through public-private partnerships, we can collectively address the seat belt non-use problem and establish a national attitude that wearing seat belts and using child safety seats is the expected behavior in America. Partnerships can coordinate and execute efforts that will weave the seat belt message into America's consciousness — in the home, throughout hometowns, at school, in the workplace, on the road, at recreational sites, and in the media. Public and private sector organizations can join together to set the tone and serve as models who demonstrate that we are a nation that cares about children, families, good health, and well-being. By framing passenger protection as a health issue, public-private partnerships can reach millions of individuals with correct and helpful information, and can encourage seat belt part-time and non-users to make the right decision and buckle up. There are, and have been, many strong partnerships over the past 10 years that have worked to increase seat belt and child safety seat use in America. Many public and private organizations have contributed funding and in-kind resources and have worked together to achieve our Nation's current 68 percent seat belt use rate. In communities across the country, businesses have joined with service groups, law enforcement agencies, citizen activists, county engineers, schools, and others to increase local use rates. States have formed statewide seat belt coalitions, distributed information, passed and enforced laws, and developed strategies for increasing usage. Large businesses have taken on the issue because it is cost effective and it makes sense. Now it is time to energize existing partners and bring on new ones to assist in meeting the national goals. New ideas, new resources, additional energy, and additional partners are needed. It will, however, take more than marketing a healthier lifestyle to get hard core seat belt non-wearers, and those who fail to secure their children properly in motor vehicles, to take responsibility. Additional strategies are needed. Point 2. The second component of the National Strategy is for states to enact strong legislation by adopting primary (standard) seat belt laws and closing the gaps in child passenger safety laws. Under primary enforcement laws, a citation can be written whenever a law enforcement officer observes an unbelted driver or passenger. In states with secondary laws, an officer can issue a citation only after the driver is stopped or cited for some other infraction. Child passenger safety laws should cover every child (up to age 16), in every seating position, in every passenger vehicle. Currently, although every state has a child passenger safety law, some laws include only very young children, some cover only the front seat, and some exempt pickup trucks and vans. Point 3. The National Strategy's third component is to conduct active, high-visibility enforcement of seat belt laws to achieve higher seat belt use rates. Experience has shown that, after seat belt laws pass, use rates rise because of the public's perception that they must buckle up. However, if the laws are not actively enforced, use rates drop. Seat belt use laws need to be enforced in the same way that other traffic infractions are, like speeding or running a red light. A variety of seat belt enforcement approaches are encouraged to fit a community's needs. Examples include ticketing, conducting checkpoints, safety checks, child safety seat clinics, and officers serving as role models by wearing their own seat belts. Active enforcement is a must. In addition, law enforcement must take every opportunity to educate the public about the importance of seat belts, child safety seats, and always seating children in the back seat of motor vehicles. No child should be allowed to ride unrestrained in a vehicle. To ensure that children ride safely, law enforcement should take action on every child passenger safety law violation they see. Enforcing child passenger safety laws does not require extensive training on correct use. An officer needs only to observe a child who is at risk and do something about it. Sometimes officers believe that if a family cannot afford to purchase a child seat, they should not add to the family's burden by giving them a ticket with a fine. But other options are available. An officer can use a stop as an educational opportunity. The officer can refer the adult to a low-cost or "loaner" child safety seat program, or refer the adult to a local child passenger safety assistance program for technical advice if there is a misuse problem. Point 4. The fourth component of the National Strategy is to expand effective public education on the benefits of seat belt and child safety seat use and the requirements of seat belt and child safety seat use laws. Public education may include a broad range of activities such as high visibility enforcement campaigns, promotional events, and community-based initiatives, but these activities must be well planned and well coordinated. To educate the public about the dangers of not using or misusing seat belts and child safety seats, efforts can range from national campaigns, such as "Vince and Larry" (designed by the Ad Council), to inclusion of passenger safety information in state driver licensing booklets, instructional programs in schools and the workplace, and one-on-one opportunities delivered by health care professionals or child care workers. The crucial element is that the public receives a single, simple message, but receives it often and in many different ways. Specific Activities to Implement the National Strategy To Increase Seat Belt Use NationwideThe PresidentThe President is taking immediate action to support the National Strategy and new goals by:
CongressTo assist citizens, communities, and states to increase their seat belt and child safety seat use rates, and to provide them the tools they need, Members of Congress should:
Federal AgenciesAll Federal agencies will:
Some Departments will do more:Department of TransportationSecretary of Transportation
StatesStates can take direct action to protect their citizens and reduce the costs of injuries to unrestrained occupants. States should:
Selected
Activities:
National Organizations and CoalitionsMany national organizations and coalitions already support seat belt and child safety seat legislation, enforcement, and education. All organizations should:
Selected
Activities:
Business Businesses
have a crucial role to play in increasing proper seat belt and child safety
seat use. They also will realize substantial benefits through decreased
crash injury costs to their employees and their families.
Selected
Activities:
MediaMedia organizations have a responsibility and a special role to play. The media should:
Selected
Activities:
Sports Participants and OrganizationsSports organizations and teams at all levels (professional, college, school, and neighborhood) can promote the use of seat belts. Athletes can serve as role models and spokespersons. Sports organizations, teams, and individual athletes should:
Selected
Activities:
CommunitiesMost education and law enforcement takes place in our cities, counties, towns, and villages. Communities should:
Selected
Activities:
Private CitizensUltimately, it is the individual who must take responsibility for his or her own behavior. Since young children are unable to protect themselves, parents and care givers are responsible for transporting children safely. Every person living in America should:
Reporting and RecognitionThe Department of Transportation will coordinate and monitor progress of the National Strategy and will issue an Annual Report to the President each year by March 1. This report will include seat belt use rates and crash statistics. It will also report on seat belt use rates, crashes, injuries, and related costs involving Federal employees on official business and occupants of motor vehicles driven on Federal lands. Specific programs that have made significant progress, or are notable and deserving of recognition, will be identified. FundingAs is appropriate for a National Strategy in which everyone has a role, funding comes from many sources. States and communities make substantial expenditures to enforce their passenger protection laws and to educate the public about seat belt and child safety seat use. The private sector has also contributed substantially toward education, legislation, and enforcement activities to increase seat belt use. In particular, members of the Air Bag Safety Campaign will contribute over $14 million toward the Campaign during its first two years, and many individual companies are conducting additional activities at their own expense. Virtually every highway safety organization in America is participating actively in this effort. The benefits that these organizations receive, in reduced traffic injuries, fatalities, and economic costs, will far exceed their expenditures. The level of voluntary commitment and funding that currently exists must continue. The Federal Government has done, and will continue to do, its part. Specific funds to increase seat belt and child safety seat use are included in the Department of Transportation's FY 1998 budget request and the Department's reauthorization proposal. In FY 1998, the Department has requested $10.184 million for occupant protection activities and an additional $9 million for occupant protection incentive grants to states. The Department of Transportation's reauthorization proposal includes $20 million in each of the years FY 1998-2001 and $22 million for each of the years FY 2002-2003 for state occupant protection incentive grants. It is expected that states, annually, will allocate more than $20 million of the funds they receive from the Department of Transportation's Section 402 traffic safety grants for occupant protection activities. |
President Executive Order[Federal Register: April 18, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 75)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Page 19215-19218]
From the Federal Register On-line via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18ap97-146]
[[Page 19215]]
Part V
The President
Executive Order 13043--Increasing Seat Belt Use in the United States
Presidential Documents
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 19217]]
Executive Order 13043 of April 16, 1997
Increasing Seat Belt Use in the United States
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, including the Highway Safety Act of 1966, 23
U.S.C. 402 and 403, as amended, section 7902(c) of
title 5, United States Code, and section 19 of the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C.
668, as amended, and in order to require that Federal
employees use seat belts while on official business; to
require that motor vehicle occupants use seat belts in
national park areas and on Department of Defense
(``Defense'') installations; to encourage Tribal
Governments to adopt and enforce seat belt policies and
programs for occupants of motor vehicles traveling on
highways in Indian Country; and to encourage Federal
contractors, subcontractors, and grantees to adopt and
enforce on-the-job seat belt use policies and programs,
it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policies. (a) Seat Belt Use by Federal
Employees. Each Federal employee occupying any seating
position of a motor vehicle on official business, whose
seat is equipped with a seat belt, shall have the seat
belt properly fastened at all times when the vehicle is
in motion.
(b) Seat Belt Use in National Parks and on Defense
Installations. Each operator and passenger occupying
any seating position of a motor vehicle in a national
park area or on a Defense installation, whose seat is
equipped with a seat belt or child restraint system,
shall have the seat belt or child restraint system
properly fastened, as required by law, at all times
when the vehicle is in motion.
(c) Seat Belt Use by Government Contractors,
Subcontractors and Grantees. Each Federal agency, in
contracts, subcontracts, and grants entered into after
the date of this order, shall seek to encourage
contractors, subcontractors, and grantees to adopt and
enforce on-the-job seat belt policies and programs for
their employees when operating company-owned, rented,
or personally owned vehicles.
(d) Tribal Governments. Tribal Governments are
encouraged to adopt and enforce seat belt policies and
programs for occupants of motor vehicles traveling on
highways in Indian Country that are subject to their
jurisdiction.
Sec. 2. Scope of Order. All agencies of the executive
branch are directed to promulgate rules and take other
appropriate measures within their existing programs to
further the policies of this order. This includes, but
is not limited to, conducting education, awareness, and
other appropriate programs for Federal employees about
the importance of wearing seat belts and the
consequences of not wearing them. It also includes
encouraging Federal contractors, subcontractors, and
grantees to conduct such programs. In addition, the
National Park Service and the Department of Defense are
directed to initiate rulemaking to consider regulatory
changes with respect to enhanced seat belt use
requirements and standard (primary) enforcement of such
requirements in national park areas and on Defense
installations, consistent with the policies outlined in
this order, and to widely publicize and actively
enforce such regulations. The term ``agency'' as used
in this order means an Executive department, as defined
in 5 U.S.C. 101, or any employing unit or authority of
the Federal Government, other than those of the
legislative and judicial branches.
Sec. 3. Coordination. The Secretary of Transportation
shall provide leadership and guidance to the heads of
executive branch agencies to assist them
[[Page 19218]]
with the employee seat belt programs established
pursuant to this order. The Secretary of Transportation
shall also cooperate and consult with the legislative
and judicial branches of the Government to encourage
and help them to adopt seat belt use programs.
Sec. 4. Reporting Requirements. The Secretary of
Transportation, in cooperation with the heads of
executive branch agencies, and after consultation with
the judicial and legislative branches of Government,
shall submit an annual report to the President. The
report shall include seat belt use rates and statistics
of crashes, injuries, and related costs involving
Federal employees on official business and occupants of
motor vehicles driven in national park areas, on
Defense installations, and on highways in Indian
Country. The report also shall identify specific agency
programs that have made significant progress towards
achieving the goals of this order or are notable and
deserving of recognition. All agencies of the executive
branch shall provide information to, and otherwise
cooperate with, the Secretary of Transportation to
assist with the preparation of the annual report.
Sec. 5. Other Powers and Duties. Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or alter the powers and
duties of the heads of the various Federal agencies
pursuant to the Highway Safety Act of 1966, 23 U.S.C.
402 and 403, as amended, section 19 of the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. 668, as
amended, or sections 7901, 7902, and 7903 of title 5,
United States Code, nor shall it be construed to affect
any right, duty, or procedure under the National Labor
Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. 151 et seq.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Executive Order 12566
of September 26, 1986, is revoked. To the extent that
this order is inconsistent with any provisions of any
prior Executive order, this order shall control.
(b) If any provision of this order or application
of any such provision is held to be invalid, the
remainder of this order and other applications of such
provision shall not be affected.
(c) Nothing in this order shall be construed to
create a new cause of action against the United States,
or to alter in any way the United States liability
under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. 2671-2680.
(d) The Secretary of Defense shall implement the
provisions of this order insofar as practicable for
vehicles of the Department of Defense.
(e) The Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney
General, consistent with their protective and law
enforcement responsibilities, shall determine the
extent to which the requirements of this order apply to
the protective and law enforcement activities of their
respective agencies.
(Presidential Sig.)
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National
Each year, traffic crashes in the United States claim about 41,000 lives
and cost Americans $150 billion in economic costs, including $17 billion
in medical and emergency expenses, lost productivity, and property loss.
Traffic injuries are the leading cause of injury deaths and the leading
cause of all deaths for people ages 6 to 27. They also are the leading
cause of on-the-job fatalities and the third leading cause of death for
all Americans; only cancer and heart attacks claim more American lives.
However, far more people are injured and survive motor vehicle crashes
than die in these crashes. In 1995, for example, while almost 41,800 persons
were killed in traffic crashes, over 3.4 million injuries were documented
in police-reported crashes.
Every 14 seconds someone in America is injured in a traffic crash and
every 12 minutes someone is killed. When a traffic crash occurs, occupants
are still traveling at the vehicle's original speed at the moment of impact.
Just after the vehicle rapidly comes to a complete stop, unbelted occupants
slam into the steering wheel, windshield, or other parts of the vehicle's
interior. Seat belts are effective in reducing fatalities and injuries
caused by this second collision, or "human collision," when
the vehicle's occupants hit some part of the vehicle interior or other
occupants. Seat belts provide the greatest protection against occupant
ejection. In fatal crashes in 1995, only two percent of restrained passenger
car occupants were ejected, compared to 25 percent of unrestrained occupants.
Ejection from a vehicle is one of the most injurious events that can happen
to a person in a crash. Three-quarters of the occupants who are ejected
from passenger cars are killed.
Part-time users are often people who believe that seat belts reduce
the severity of injury in motor vehicle crashes but who believe that they
are not at risk when driving on short, familiar, low speed trips. Many
part-time users think of themselves as full-time users because they wear
their belts when they believe they are at risk of crash involvement. The
greatest gains in seat belt use have been achieved by increasing the number
of situations in which part-time users wear their seat belts. Since members
of this group already believe that seat belts are beneficial, they may
be converted to full-time users through education, but messages must be
presented in new ways so part-time users will pay attention.
Another benefit of increased traffic enforcement, in addition to saving
lives and dollars, is a measurable reduction in crime. Active, highly
visible traffic enforcement provides a major opportunity to catch criminals.
Because most criminals drive to and from crime scenes, it is not surprising
that as many as one-third of criminal apprehensions occur as part of traffic
stops. Nor is it surprising that high intensity law enforcement programs,
such as those conducted in North Carolina and Tennessee, result in a large
number of criminal apprehensions and recoveries of stolen property.